MacBook Pro

It's easy to gush about brand-new technology. It comes well-packaged and prestine and for a moment I'm struck by the ingenuity and the shear marketing of such beautiful objects. And, the MacBook Pro is such a beautiful object.

Out of the box it's a sleek slab of metal, a sharp monolith-like object of painted aluminium that fits in the hands easily. And then there's the Mac OS X chime when you touch the silver power button.

One of the things I love about Apple is the little touches, the magnetic catches on the lid, the iSight nestled in the upper LCD bezel, the light on the MagSafe Power Connector which glows orange when it's charging. The lighted keyboard is a joy to behold as well.

Beyond the looks and the overall design, this laptop is wicked fast, quiet, and doesn't seem especially hot. The weight and size are similar to my old Powerbook, however the MacBook Pro's hinge design means it's shorter than my previous machine.

Frankly, I like this machine so much I'm afraid I'll turn into Golem, start yammering about "my precious, my precious" and scampering off into a cave just so I can enjoy the illuminated keyboard.

So, thanks to everyone who was nice enough to give out Apple Gift Cards (or checks) so that I could enjoy such a cool machine. And thanks to Mom and Dad, who were kind enough to cover the difference. Thanks again guys.

30!

Yes, I'm now 30 years old.

The good thing is, I'm either 26 or 35 depending on whom one asks.

There's not much else to be said about being 30, except there's things I'd really like to get done, and some things I'm glad I've already accomplished.

The best thing was the people who came out to my birthday party, thanks guys.